Prepayment electric fan



April 14, 1925. 1,533,652

f- G. E. LE couNT PREPAYMENT ELECTRIC FAN Original Filed Aug.- 2A, 1922Fgj.

Sheets-Sheet 1 f6 by His Acccnrwfrey4 April 14, 1925. 1,533,652

G. E. LE COUNT PREPAYMENT ELECTRIC FAN Original Filed Aug. 24, 1922 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor: George E- Le Gemt,

by ggtbomey ratchet disk 39 adapted to be enga-ged and stepped around bythe paWl 35, and in order to prevent retrograde movement thereof it isprovided with a circular series of indentations 40 with which engagesaspring plunger 4l seatedin the boss 34 parallel to the axis thereof.

The pedestal is provided at its upper end' with a crown flange 42 havingrabbit-ted engagemci'it With a circular shoulder on the motor frame anda radial set screw 43 tapped into the wall thereof and adapt-ed toengage a notch 44 in the periphery of the boss 34 to lock the motor infixed relation therewith. The outer end of' the set screw is providedwith a lock nut 45 to prevent it vtrom working loose.

The neck of the pedestal is bored out. vertically 'for the reception ofthe shank 46 of a bearing support or bracket 47 having a longitudinalbore for the reception of the hollow shaft 37 and its upper end threadedtor the reception of a nut,l 48 by which it is firmly secured fromvertical movement and the latter is locked in position by a set. screw4). To prevent rotary movementof the bracket 47, a dowel pin 5() isprovided and to lock the hollow shaft 37 therein a. radial setscrew 5lis tapped through the Wall of the shank 46 and entered in a notchJformed in the side of the hollow shaft and this set screw 5l isconcealed and locked by a second set screw 52 tapped through the Wall ofthe neck of the pedestal.

The vertical Worm shaft 38 meshes atits lower end with a Worm Wheel 531formed integrally with a lead nut 54 horizontally journalled in thebracket 47 and retained from axial movement by a` split collet 55engaging al peripheral groovetherein. It Will be observed. that this nutis at the end of the speed reduction gear train, by virtue ot which itis given one rotation in several hundred thousand rotations of the fanblades and extending over a time. period of one or more hours accordingto gea-r ratios employed.

The coin-controlled means is arranged in a side enlargement oit thepedestal l in which is formed apocket. or coin receptacle 56 and a coinslot 57.` Extending horizontally across the upper end of the receptacleand below the coin slot is the means whereby upon the insertion .ot aproper coin the electric circuit may Abe closed for actuation ot the tanfor thel prescribed period* of time. This means comprises a bearingsleeve 58 having coin detector slots in top and bottom walls, the upperslotbeing oft a length and Width to exclude an oversize coin. Journalledin the sleeve 58 is the hand operated coin barrel 59 in the :torni of atubular sleeve having only o-ne coin slot therein and pro` vided at itsouter end with an inwardly extending stub shaft 60 and a handle or knob6l, vwhile near its inner end is provided an arcuateslot` 62 of morethan a half circle, as indicated in Fig. 4, to permit it to be rotatedthrough 180O Without interference with the means for retaining itagainst axial movement consisting of the vertical guide tube 63. Thecoin barrel 59 has an internal bore of a diameter such that when aproper sized coin is ent-ered therein it will, While resting on thelower inner wall, extend outwardly in the slot but just Within the outerperiphery of the barrel so as to clear the side of the slot in thesleeve 58 and permit the barrel and coin to be rotated without inter-'terence therefrom, as indicated in Fig. l. Disposed concent-rically ofthe. coin barrel 59 is the coin plungery 64 capable ot axial and rotarymovement therein. The plunger 64 has a longitudinal cross slot at itsouter end and extending to the dotted line 66, and accordingly in excessof whatI is needed tor the entrance. of a single coin but for a purposeto be. set forth below. The outer end off the plunger is bored out toreceive the stub shaft 60 upon which it is journalled. The coin plunger64 has at its center pairs ot longitudinal grooves 67 and 68 with whichengages a yield-able brake member in lthe form of a steel ball 69 forcedupwardly by a spring plunger 7 0 in the guide tube 63 threaded into atapped hole in the. pedestal. lVhen a coin is inserted, as indicated inFigs. 1 and 5, it locks the barrel 59 to the plunger 64 so that thelatter may be rotated against the opposition of the yieldable brakethrough a halt turn where the coin is tree to pass out through the lowerslot in the bearing sleeve 58, as indicated in Fig. 6, and enter thecoin receptacle 56.

f The coin plunger 64 is also provided near its center with the timingswitch 10 comprising an insulated block 71 having part of its lengthformed into cam surfaces with longitudinal contact bars 7 2 mouldedtherein, as shown in Figs. l and S. while its outer end 73 beyond theends of the contact bars is reduced in diameter, as indicated in Figs.

1 and 9, so that when the plunger 64 has moved to the lett, as shown inFig. l, tar enough to displace the active contact bar 72 `from 'underthe spring switch contact 9.;

the latter drops down upon the reduced end 73 and breaks the circuitwith a snap action.

Just. beyond the switch block 7l the plunger is provided with a thread74 tor engagement with the lead nut 54 at the end of the timing geartrainl` While the ext-renie end 7 of the plunger is turned cylindricallyand journalled in the bearing bracket 47 which lat-ter also carries atits lower en'd a. horizontal bar 76 of insulation on which the springcontacts 9 and 11 are supported.

It will be understood that each time the plunger 64 is coupled to thecoin barrel 59 by a coin and Vrotated counterclockwise l;friction'clutchjoperating to hold vthe plunger atjthe'end of eachvlra'lf= 'turn from being re turned' with 'the return movement of thecoin" aierevith te the discharge 'or lthe com, it-wu be unscrewed fromthe lead "nut 54 'a' corresponding 'half 'turn'iofthethreads 74, the

barrel. This operation may be repeateda number of times in successionfor the insertion -a't one time of five orl six coins until the' plungerhas been unscrewed'from ythe lead nut sufficiently to bring the end `66of its coin'slot into position to interfere with the passage ofaddition-al coins. yThe opera- 1 tion of the fan through the timing gearupon the lead nut 54 acts to draw the plunger 64 back to the positionindicated in Fig. k1 and, of course, the time of 'operation willcorrespond Ito the number of half turns given the' A plunger G4 throughentrance of coins.

y The coin receptacle 56 has inthe outer wall thereof af displaceabletrap door 5 in the form of a steel disk having `on its inner wall asuitable lock 7 6 with a spear head 7 7 arranged to `ente-r an oblonghole in l an escutcl'ieon 78 fixed in therear wall of the receptacleland interlocked therewith.

vThe lower end jof the pedestal is enclosed bylaniron 'plate 79 havingka spur 80 ladapted i to enter a notch '81 in the inner wall of the-pedestal opposite the `coin receptacle, and

near its opposite edge `is a' tapped boss 82 adapted to beengaged by aset 'screw 83 extending through the bottom of the lcoin receptacle Isothat it can Ibe manipulated only whenV the latter is open land thusprevent ac cess to any of the operative parts by unauthorized persons.

A coin or operation counter gear S4 inthe form of a. cyclometer issecured to the inner wall of the coin receptacle over a. window aperture85 cut therein opposite the trap 757 so that when the latter 'is openthe counter may be read. The counter is provided with the usual ratchetWheel 86, with which engages areciprocating rack 87 connected `at theupper end of is stem S8 to the spring yplunger 7 0, so 'that it isdepressed each time guided in a correspondingly apertured bushing S9threaded into the lower end of the guide tube 63 and fixed by a lockynut 90. The rack 87 is in the form of a nut threaded upon its stem andits teeth, are in the form of spaced collars so that it may be rotatedwhile maintaining continuous engagement with the ratchet wheel 86 andi-t is fixed in adjusted position by a lock nut 91.

In the modi-fied construction shown in Figs. 10 to 14, the motor shaft4t is provided with a worm 13 at the rear end thereof which meshes witha. Worm wheel 14: fast on a shaft 15 exte-nding diagonally to the neckof the motor where itis provided with a second Worm 17 meshing with asecond worm wheel 18 fast-'on a shaft 19 having a third "worm and 4wormwheel engagement with a vertical shaft 37" provided 'at its lowerendwith a slot "and vcotter pin conL .nection with a worm shaft '37 whichmeshes with 'a lead 'nut 541".

In this modification the motor frame 2 is provided at its lower sidewith a large bfoss 34 adapted to vseat upon an internal shoulder 91 inthe neck of the pedestal 1" where'it is secured by a plate 92 screwedthereto Land underriding the internal shoulderl 91. A

radial thumb screw 113 operatesto clamp the motor frame in adjustedposition rela tive to the pedestal.

The pedestal l and coin receptacle 56" are arranged similar to theconstruction first described. In the place of a bearing sleeve 58 A'anarcuate detector 'plate 93 provided with dowel pins 94 is positionedwithin the coin slot 57 in a seat cut in a cylindrical Ibearing supportfor 'thecoin barrel 59', the coin plunger G4", worm shaft 37 and counter'Sil'. n

. The coinvbarrel 59" is held against axial movement by a set screw 96tapped through the wall of the support 95 and projecting at its innerend into an arcuate slot G2.

e The coin plunger (511" is journalled at vits outer end -in ab'eai'fing 97 lformed in the in-4 ner end ofthe handle or knob 61,`while its opposite end' is provided with a screw thread 74 in engagementwith the lead nut 54.

The friction `clutch for the coin plunger comprises two steel balls 69disposed in a transverse aperture in the plunger and yieldingly pressedoutward by a spring 9S disposed between them. These balls normallyengage V-shaped grooves 67 formed internally of a ring 99 fixed in thebearing sup port 95. Other slots 68 are also provided for a purpose tobe set forth below.

The switch block 71 and contacts 72 are the same as in the constructionfirst described. The stationary contacts 9 and 11 differ only in thatthey are made somewhat: shorter and are supported on an insulating block76, secured transversely to the bea-ring support 95. The counter gear84k is secured by screws across the inner end of the bea-ring supportand extending into the bore thereof with its ratchet wheel 86 inposition to be engaged by an eccentric finger 100 slida-blc in the endof the coin plunger 64.

The bearing support is detachably secured in position by a set screw 101extending through an interior wall of the pedestal and engaging a notchformed in the periphery of the support.

Referring to Figs. 5, 6, 13 and 14, it will be noted that the coin slotin the coin barrel 59 or 59 is formed by the removal of an arcuatesegment of nearly 180o and a length greater than the diameter of thecoin and so positioned relative. to the slo-t 62er 62 that the upper orleading edge 102 thereof will normally stand clear of the detecting orentrance slot for the coin, while its lower edge 103 is positioned toclose the exitslot and provide a step on which the coin rest-s, whilethe coin barrel is being given its half turn, as indicated in Figs. 5and 13. Upon completion of the half turn of the coin barrel, the artswill be positioned, as indicated in "igs 6 and 14, so that the coin isfree to pass out through the lower slot into the coin receptacle 56 or56.

It is to be noted that the leading edge 102 of the coin barrel slotpasses the. detector slot and shuts it before the coin plunger has beenmoved to release the clutch ball G9 or 69 from engagement with thecoacting groove 67 or 67', and in case the coin barrel be turned in theopposite direction before the coin plunger has been rotated far enoughto bringits opposite V groove into contact with the clutch ball, itcannot positively7 return the coin plunger, and in case of those partsbeing frictionally engaged by gum or grit the plunger will be arrestedby a shallow groove 68 or 68 engaging with the clutch ball before thecoin is brought near the entrance slot, although the edge 102 of thebarrel slot may have been moved back sufficiently to clear the entranceslot.

Vhile I have shown and described the best embodiment of the inventionknown to me, I do not desire to be restricted. thereto.

Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is,-

l. A prepayment electric fan with a hollow pedestal having housedtherein an electric switch, coin controlled setting means therefor, atiming geartrain, and electric connections between said motor and saidswitch.

2. A prepayment electric fan having a supporting pedestal, a timing geartrain driven by the fan motor and extending into said pedestal, anelectric switch having a rotary shaft, a common bearing support for saidshaft and the end member of said gear train, and coin-contro=lled meansfor setting said electric switch in said pedestal.

3. A prepayment electric fan having a supporting pedestal, a lead nutdisposed in said pedestal, a timing gear train driven by the fan motorand driving said lead nut, a coin-controlled switch shaft engaging saidlead nut, and a common bearing support for said nut and said shaft.

1. A prepayment electric fan having a supporting pedestal pivotally anddetachably connected thereto, a timing gear train driven by thc fanmot-or and extending into said pedestal, an electric switch forcontrolling the motor located in said pedestal and actuated in onedirection by said gear train, and coin-controlled means for setting saidswitch in the opposite direction.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day of May,1924.

GEORGE E. LE COUNT.

